Man jailed in AT&T dispute

He threatened the lives of two employees

Raybon was sentenced to 10 years in prison for two counts of retaliation.

A 49-year-old Oklahoma man was given the maximum sentence Thursday in 89th District Court after being proven to have threatened to kill two employees at a Wichita Falls AT&T store in January 2011.

John Walter Raybon, address listed in Durant, Okla., received a 10-year prison sentence and the maximum $10,000 fine for two counts of retaliation. Raybon was convicted of the crimes Wednesday by a jury in the same courtroom.

That same panel recommended the sentence, which was imposed by Judge Mark Price. Raybon received 364 days credited to that sentence for time already served.

"This defendant's pattern of harassment and threats and violence called out for a prison sentence," said lead Prosecutor Starla Jones. "By assessing the maximum sentence, this jury made our community safer. People who report crimes can know that they have the full protection of the law behind them."

Raybon was probation eligible, a sentence his defense attorney had asked the jury to return.

The charges stemmed from a dispute Raybon had with AT&T over customer service issues, according to a release from the Wichita County District Attorney's Office. Evidence at trial showed Raybon repeatedly went to the AT&T store on Lawrence Road in Wichita Falls threatening lawsuits and trying to get the manager of the store fired, the release stated.

In January 2011, Raybon called customer service and threatened to bring his 9mm gun to the store to resolve the problem.

AT&T reportedly hired security guards to work at the store as a result of the threats. On Jan. 28, Raybon showed up at the store with a loaded gun in his pocket, the release stated.

He was arrested for resisting arrest and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

After that incident, Raybon called AT&T to find out why his phone was cut off, the release stated. When he was patched-through to the corporate security officer — who also was a retired Texas Ranger — Raybon said he was going to "make a move to destroy their lives" — allegedly referring to the officer and store manager.

Texas law makes it a crime to threaten someone who has reported a crime, according to the release.

During the trial, prosecutors proved Raybon had convictions for assault family violence and driving while intoxicated. The jury also heard testimony from an Oklahoma woman who allegedly had been harassed and stalked by Raybon.